Implementation of flagship schemes big test for India: Kochhar

Washington: India must remain focussed on executing various ambitious programmes like Make in India and strengthen institutional framework, top banker Chanda Kochhar has said while underlining that the implementation of these campaigns is going to be a “big test” for the country.

“There is a genuine effort and a genuine intent on the part of the government to make these changes happen. We are seeing a whole lot of focus on e-governance… I think what is stopping us from getting to the nine or 10 per cent growth rate is that we still have to do and execute the lot of the intent that we have laid out,” said Kochhar, MD and CEO of ICICI Bank, in a keynote address to the India Conference 2016 of the Harvard University.

Kochhar stressed on the need to remain focused on the path of development and fast growth charted out by the government.

“We need to remain focused on executing all the intent that we have laid by ourselves. That is going to be the big test for India,” the ICICI Bank head said at the Harvard Business School, which organised the conference in association with the Harvard Kennedy School.

Kochhar also underscored the need to strengthen the institutional framework.

“Whether it is the bankruptcy code, whether it is the speed at which our parliamentary system works, things like GST bill is yet to be passed, so we have to really improve our institutional framework,” she said.

“We also have to recognise the fact that when we talk of manufacturing or infrastructure, there are quite a few impediments as things are set up. When people have to get access to land, have to get access to natural resources, I think, projects get delayed beyond a point.

“And that is something where during the implementation process, we have to bring about a lot more efficiency,” the top Indian banker said.

If India has to reap the benefits of the demographic dividends, India has to focus on some of the long-term things like education, skill development and health, she said.

“Because only when we equip our youth with the education, with skills and make them employable, then only India would get the true demographic dividend,” Kochhar said.

India, she said, starts with huge set of advantages, including the demographic dividend.

“It is really upon us; how do we take benefit of it.

Similarly the dichotomy is infrastructure. We have invested very less in infrastructure which gives us huge potential to create investments and the multiplier factor. But if we do not land up doing that, we would create a bottleneck to our growth,” she said.